Billy Kaufman is a 39 year old rural Cannon County farmer who lives and works on Short Mountain in Liberty, TN. Kaufman came to Cannon County in 2001, but you may remember his family’s impact on the area decades prior to that.

Kaufman’s great grandfather, Jesse Shwayder (pictured here with his brothers), founded an iconic American brand of luggage 100 years ago in 1910. In 1941, Shwayder trademarked the company name Samsonite. It was named after his strongest piece of luggage bearing the name of Biblical character “Samson.”

In the 1960s, Louis Degen, Kaufman’s grandfather, brought Samsonite to Middle Tennessee and employed hundreds of families in the area producing folding chairs and card tables.

Kaufman’s family had never lived here before he decided to move to Cannon County. Kaufman pledged to make this his home and make certain his investments would create a sustainable value for the community and a lasting opportunity for other families who also call Cannon County home.

Kaufman also pledged to find ways to preserve a way of life he felt was being eroded by foreign corporations with no real connection to rural culture or the people they employed. He sought honest work that reflected his values and found it in farming.

As a farmer, Kaufman runs the first farm in Cannon County to attempt organic certification. Working with the USDA, Kaufman installed erosion protections, water conservation systems and fencing. The stringent requirements protect streams, wildlife and drinking water for generations to come while providing healthier food for the community.

Little Short Mountain Farm is nestled in 300 acres of land that Kaufman wants to protect and make a viable part of our community. His work as a farmer providing food to locals and various markets got him thinking about ways that can better sustain local farmers.

Kaufman had an idea he shared with his brothers David and Ben (pictured here with brothers left to right: Darian, Billy, David, and Ben), both of whom agreed to help. The idea was to start a distillery called Short Mountain Distillery. It would create jobs, help keep local farmers in business and bring another unique Tennessee brand to America and the world.

Most important to the Kaufman brothers, Short Mountain Distillery would be a locally owned and family funded business that’s a productive part of the community generating needed revenue that will stay in the county.

In the summer of 2010, Kaufman began seeking approval from his friends and neighbors by collecting signatures for a referendum. A law passed in 2009 by the state legislature cleared the way for distilleries to operate in Tennessee. On November 2, 2010 voters granted Kaufman permission to build a distillery in Cannon County through a general election referendum.

Since then, several locals have worked to help build Stillhouse #1 which several hundred supporters actively follow on Facebook. Short Mountain Distillery worked to receive both state and federal permits becoming Tennessee’s sixth distillery making authentic small-batch, sour mash Moonshine, Bourbon and Tennessee Whiskey from corn grown and stone-milled on Kaufman’s 300 acre farm. Short Mountain Distillery begins production in January 2012 with product on the shelves in early Spring 2012.

Kaufman also expresses his community values through art. In October 2010, his hard cover photo art book “Why Are You Surprised I’m Still Here” was published by Loudmouth Press. The book  features signs used by homeless people that Kaufman purchased over the years from the homeless. Proceeds from the book benefit the National Coalition for the Homeless.

A patron of several local artists, Kaufman serves on the Tennessee Arts Commission’s Rural Art Panel, helping artists secure grants for their work.